What a difference a year can make.
Last year at this time, the Steelers were 0-3, playing without Ben Roethlisberger and wondering how they could get the season back on track.
A year later, they find themselves at 3-0 coming out of the month of September, Roethlisberger is back and things have an entirely different feel to them.
The defense? It's still getting after opposing quarterbacks the same way it did last season when it led the NFL in sacks for the third straight season, getting there a league-best 15 times already this season. But with Roethlisberger back in charge of the offense, the Steelers are complementing each other offensively and defensively much better.
"We know we have to work independently, but overall together as a team," Vince Williams said Monday after the Steelers defeated the Texans, 28-21 on Sunday. "We understand and trust each other. Coming into the season, we knew it was going to be a team effort. We’ve been able to do that. It’s been a great push and pull. We really like the direction we’re going and we’ve got to keep that going."
The biggest difference has been the return of Roethlisberger. The 38-year-old quarterback hasn't been stellar, but he's been what the Steelers have needed.
His numbers aren't what they were the last time we saw him for an extended period -- in 2018 when he led the league in passing yards -- but that's not what the Steelers missed the most. More than anything, they missed Roethlisberger's mind.
The Steelers ran the second-fewest offensive plays in 2019 with Roethlisberger playing just the first six quarters of the season because of an elbow injury, averaging 58.6 plays per game. This season, they're 10th, averaging 68 offensive plays per game.
That's 10 more plays per game, putting less pressure on the defense to make things happen.
That balance was never more apparent than against the Texans. The Steelers dominated the second half both offensively and defensively, outscoring the Texans 11-0 and holding the ball for more than 20 minutes as the Texans managed just two first downs. The Steelers ran 76 offensive plays compared to 47 for the Texans.
"The defense shuts them out and we come out and control the game pretty well," said Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro, who returned to the lineup after missing the first two games with a knee injury.
"That’s what makes great teams, being able to play together and on special teams, as well. Obviously, having a guy like Ben back speaks for itself. He’s the quarterback."
The Steelers are averaging 382 yards per game and allowing 290. Last season, they averaged just under 277 yards per game.
Roethlisberger is still missing some throws here and there, but he's also still more than talented enough to make up for that with the next play. And his ability to read defenses and get the Steelers into positive plays was on display against the Texans.
The Texans were changing looks and fronts in an effort to do anything they could to get the Steelers off the field in the second half. But it didn't matter. Roethlisberger simply checked to runs or passes depending on the circumstances.
The Steelers even mixed in some run-pass options, allowing the 17-year-veteran quarterback to make his decision whether to run or throw the ball on the fly.
"There is a pre-snap read element to it, but a lot of it has to happen after the ball is snapped as the guys slide. And sometimes I'll predetermine that I'm going to throw it," Roethlisberger said after the game. "You know, I missed (Eric) Ebron early on the one.
"So there is some taking a chance every once in a while if you pull it out. I threw one to JuJu (Smith-Schuster) in the flat. I should have handed it off. Sometimes I don't make the right read or the right decision or it doesn't work out the way you want it to, but as long as we're making more of them than we don't, I think it's good."
Good enough to be off to a 3-0 start.
It's not always been pretty or how the Steelers would have scripted things. Right tackle Zach Banner was lost for the season in Week 1 to a knee injury. Against the Texans, wide receiver Diontae Johnson left with a concussion, while fullback Derek Watt has a hamstring injury that will keep him sidelined for the next couple of weeks.
But compared to some of the injuries suffered by other teams already this season, that's not bad.
And though they went without a turnover against the Texans -- breaking a string of 25 consecutive games with at least one -- they did have three in their first three games, with two in a Week 2 win over the Broncos giving Denver a chance to stay in the game. And those three turnovers have been turned into 17 points by opponents.
If they don't turn the ball over, the Steelers will be a difficult team to beat the rest of the season.
And, as Mike Tomlin has repeatedly said, finding ways to win games while correcting some of the early mistakes sure beats the alternative.
"It’s a good start. That’s all you need," DeCastro said. "It’s not perfect or pretty, but it’s the confidence. I think this team can be pretty special and I’m excited. Everyone’s happy to be playing football, and when you’re winning, it’s an added bonus. It’s been a crazy year, but we’re trying to put our heads down and grind out some more wins."